Duterte prodded on natl smoking ban

ANTI-SMOKING advocates on Thursday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the executive order (EO) implementing a national smoking ban.

In a news conference in Quezon City, New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP) president Emer Rojas said the longer that the smoking ban EO is not signed, the higher the risk that debilitating diseases will affect smokers and non-smokers alike.

“The clock is ticking and we cannot afford to sit back and wait as an estimated 82,468 new cancer cases are expected to occur in the Philippines if we don’t act now,” Rojas said.

Health Justice Legal Consultant Jim Asturias said that the EO will protect children in schools from second-hand smoke.

“While it is prohibited to smoke inside school facilities, many children are exposed to secondhand smoke outside campuses and in many locations considered as public areas,” Asturias said.

“With the EO, children are offered a better chance to protect themselves from the harmful effects of inhaling cigarette smoke,” he added. DEMPSEY REYES

3 Comments

Smoking in an enclosed area is far more dangerous in that vehicle exhaust in open spaces..Also far easier to put this bill in place than takckling vehicle emmisons. It would be good to tackle that next however along with rubbish burning.. The air is shared space and you have to think past your own filthy habit as you don’t own the air we all breathe.. in 2017 you cant argue two wrongs don’t make a right .. that argument about vehicle exhaust is a plain old and dumb smokers rights argument

This is downright laughable. And its always “think of the children.” Yeah well what about all that nasty exhaust smoke from jeepnies that children have to breathe in? What about that? What about the loud motorcycles that make children deaf? What about children riding motorcycles with no helmets? What about the sweets that rot children’s teeth? The Philippines is a danger zone. You want to make this a public health issue then go ahead and really implement policies to promote the public health. You can start by enforcing the laws against burning. Trash burning is downright nasty and a menace to public health. It needs to be stopped. People who burn garbage and leaves are public enemies to the public health.